Anchoring effect (Tversky & Kahneman, 1974) — the first number presented becomes a reference point that pulls all later judgments, even when arbitrary

Claim: Anchoring is a robust cognitive bias documented since Tversky & Kahneman (1974): the first number presented becomes a reference point that pulls subsequent judgements toward it, even when the anchor is arbitrary. Adjustment away from the anchor is typically insufficient.

Source: Harvard Program on Negotiation https://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/negotiation-skills-daily/price-anchoring-101/ ; Wikipedia summary https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchoring_effect

Confidence: Verified — one of the most reproduced findings in behavioural science.

Why this matters for Candid: A public calculator number anchors the customer before any conversation. When the on-site $8,000 estimate becomes a $12,000 quote after a real assessment, the seller is no longer opening a negotiation — they are climbing out of a hole they dug on their own homepage. This is the strongest behavioural argument against precision in customer-facing calculators. See R7 — Treat every public number on a client site as an anchor; design accordingly.